"The world is not full of wonderful people," he told the group. "It's full of thieves and liars." Such people are drawn to government, Quatrevaux said, because public agencies are typically unable to defend themselves from fraud.

Qautrevaux said his office has issued 52 reports and identified about $30 million in waste, potential waste and fraud since he took the job about four years ago. "Watching is good," he said of the IG's role. "Watching is disinfectant. Watching is sunshine."

The task force invited Quatreveaux to its meeting -- the group's second -- to talk about the operation of his office and to answer questions as the task force seeks to determine the feasibility of establishing an inspector general's office for St. Tammany Parish. The group -- representing parishwide elected officials, municipalities, chambers of commerce, citizens groups and business interests -- has until March 1 to deliver a report to the state Legislature.

Quatrevaux said his office has about 25 employees and a budget of $3.7 million, which includes funding for the independent police monitor, who is largely independent from Quatrevaux's office.

The funding, a percentage of the city's general fund budget, is written into the city charter. The office is charged with detecting and deterring fraud through audits and investigations, and it considers its jurisdiction all agencies that receive city funds, he said.

"Fraud. That's the focus. Fraud."

After a short presentation, he answered questions, ranging from how he got his job to how an IG differs from the legislative auditor's office and other auditors who review public agencies annually.

While the legislative auditor does conduct investigative audits, routine yearly audits of government agencies by outside auditors are set up to provide a snapshot of agencies' financial health, not to root out fraud and waste, he said: "A financial statement audit is not designed to do that."

Quatrevaux said about half of his office's investigations are the result of complaints or tips, while the other half are started by the office itself. "We don't wait for someone to call us," he said. "We are pro-active."

He told the task force that having an IG is beneficial to elected officials who can refer things to the watchdog unit and then "get out of the way."

Independence is key to an IG office, he said, noting that he does not answer to the mayor or other city officials. "You can't do my job if you're not independent. It does not work. You cannot investigate your boss."

A Louisiana native, Quatrevaux spent a decade as inspector general for the federal Legal Services Corp., which awards hundreds of millions of dollars in grants annually to nonprofit groups that provide legal aid to the indigent. He also served as inspector general of the Military Traffic Management Command in Falls Church, Va., for three years.

The League of Women Voters of St. Tammany and others have been calling for the creation of an IG office for years. The notion gained traction this year after news reports of lavish spending and other questionable practices by the parish coroner's office, which is now under investigation by state and federal authorities.

In other business Monday night, the task force introduced Folsom's representative on the panel: Alderman Donald Burris.

It also added a 26th seat representing the Village of Sun. Mayor Richard Kivett was named to that post.